Banshee Angel Of Judgement (2 page)

“
Yeah I heard
you all talking at lunch. You didn’t really tell the customers they
could fall out the Wheel of Death, did you?” Andy grinned widely at
the idea of it. The ride he was talking about was up near the log
flume at the top end of the park and the rear gate that they now
approached.

“
Well, there
was a black bag in one of the trees and it looked a bit like a
jacket flapping in the breeze,” he giggled at the memory of that
summer. Most had taken it well laughing away at the joke; some
though had been frightened enough without the prospect of being
left clinging to a tree.

“
I’d never
have the nerve to do anything like that,” Andy wished he
did.

“
Once you get
into it, you’ll find it easier if you do have a laugh with the
folks going on the rides,” Micky reassured Andy.

They stayed not far from
each other in New Mills, so had known each other in passing,
because of this it made sense to walk to and from work
together.

“
Maybe,” Andy
looked sullenly down at the ground as they left the park by the so
called back gate as there was no gate, just two fence posts with
the wood beyond.

They passed
into the long shadows cast by the large mature trees that overhung
the narrow back road that local teenagers used to sneak a free day
in the park during the summer. Often they would cause trouble
leading them to get caught but it didn’t stop them coming
back.

“
The best ones
are usually the old women as they just love a good
laugh.”

“
So what you
got planned for tonight?”

“
Nothing much,
watch a bit of telly with the girlfriend,” Micky answered. “And
you?”

“
I’ve got a
bit of revision for an exam after the Easter break.” Andy was
supposed to be at home studying during the past couple of weeks
whilst he’d been working at the park. The chance to earn some extra
cash though had been too great an opportunity.

“
So you’ve
got plenty of time then.” Micky pulled his jacket collar more
tightly round his neck as it was chilly in the shadowy wood even
though the day had been reasonably warm for the time of
year.

“
Yeah but it’s a lot to take in so I need as much revision
as I can get
,” Andy tried to
sound cheerful though he’d be happier when it was all over with
even if he was sure that he could pass it without much
effort.

“
I’m sure you’ll sail through it
,” Micky tried to encourage his young
friend.

“
I hope so,” Andy raised his eyebrows as he said
this
; then gave a half grin.
He reached into his pocket finding his mobile, his fingers played
with it though he didn’t take it out knowing there was little point
as there was never any reception in the woods.

They
continue
, in silence for a
short while, along the straight narrow forest road as the sun began
to touch the hidden horizon behind the trees. The bluebells swayed
as a fresh breeze played amongst the branches of the trees be
speckled with new buds ready to explode into the greenery of the
not to distant summer.

Micky’s bag
moved noisily on his back echoing loudly as the plastic sandwich
box bumped against a cup, breaking the quiet peace of the
wood.
He hoisted it up on his
shoulder keeping one hand on the strap to stop it from bouncing
around so much.

Ahead an old
dilapidated
stone cottage with
part of its roof missing appeared in the gloom of the forest. Andy
looked nervously at the eerie exterior, as the windows seemed to
watch as the two men carried on their way. The trees appeared to
try to hide the old house, with so many secrets, from view. The
small front garden was over grown and the small window of the attic
room was glassless.

“
That place always gives me the willies,” Andy said
with a great exaggerated shiver as if
to emphasise how he felt.

“
What, the
old witchy house,” Micky teased knowing Andy wasn’t alone in that
thought, though he thought it was just something made up to keep
the local kids from playing around the old house.

“
Yeah,” Andy
would never have come this way by himself so close to nightfall
“you’ve heard the stories?”

“
Of course
but just cause some hippies away back in the sixties freaked out on
acid doesn’t make it haunted,” he chuckled at the thought of the
old tale of the drug overdosed hippies being attacked by some sort
of evil ghost. He could just picture it in his mind as they got the
restless spirit mashed on a big spliff.

“
What about all the other stuff that’s happened over the
years,” Andy said in a hushed tone
afraid that the thing that dwelled in the house, if it were
real, might hear.

“
Like?” Micky
looked slyly up at his young companion, who took the
bait.

“
There’s the
fact that a witch used to stay there,” Andy said then realized he
was being goaded for the third time that week and smiled as he
shook his head whilst his older friend gave a hearty laugh. “Yeah,
yeah okay, I know there’s no such thing,” Andy said feeling stupid
at his own feelings of discomfort about the old
building.

C
hapter 2

She watched
the two men as they passed
from the upper floor through the attic window. ‘Soon,’ she
thought thinking of the revenge she planned to exact on the shorter
of the men for his using her home as a latrine. ‘How dare he?’ Her
cold white eyes glared angrily as the smaller man laughed out
loudly, the warmth of it made her flesh crawl.

It was about
time to remind the locals of her presence, to show them that this
was her property. It had been too long since last she tasted the
fear in someone’s scent as they realized she was more than a myth
made up to scare people at Halloween.

The last time
long haired fools had thought they could insult her by moving into
her ruined dwelling. Though they had released her from many years
of imprisonment she still felt little in the way of compassion
towards them. It had cost them their souls which she kept hidden in
a jar on a stone plinth in the cellar, in the dark secret room
hidden by a wooden wall put up to trap her over a hundred fifty
years before.

During the
day, concealed in her
underground place she often heard their tiny voices
pleading to be released only to find her ears deafly
uncompassionate. She’d smile at their whimpering as she remembered
those first glorious years as she stalked the unwary through her
woods, punishing those that dared to trespass; she would add to
their number soon, as she had added those to her collection who had
in life condemned her wrongly to death.

The sun was
setting
, letting her move more
freely around the place she had called home for so long. In the
dark of the night she would even go out into the woods hoping some
hapless wanderer would overstep their bounds into her domain but
seldom did. She sometimes could smell someone near, yet just
outside of her reach, beyond her woods. Those that did enter her
wood at night seldom hung around for long as if they could sense
her near, tracking them.

She sadly
looked at the open
ing in the
roof revealing the sky as the stars slowly began to appear in the
slowly darkening sky. Remembering how it used to be when she was
younger, when life seamed so simple. Her mother had filled the
house with laughter during the long candle lit nights of winter.
Even in her mothers last day she seemed to fill the house with her
light. She dismissed the thoughts of those happy years of life
turning back to the darkness that now was all that
remained.

How wonderful
life had been before her mother’s passing. How happy life had been
then and how quickly had it changed when she had died to become so
short and filled with hate. She had showed them though, seeking
each of the guilty out one at a time to take from them what they
had taken from her.

Taking her
vengeance as she had promised as they taken all that was hers, even
her life everything but this one overlooked glass jar, her mother’s
precious jar that she had used to hold her eels pickled in brine.
The contents still remained to add to the misery of those entrapped
within.

All
their
fine accusations had
meant nothing when she had visited them from the grave, her scream
sending fear through every part of their being as she tore their
spirits from the bodies they’d inhabited imprisoning them in the
glass container to play with, to draw power from; to feed off
them.

A leering
smile played across her twisted features as she remembered. She
eagerly awaited her next play toys
but knew she may need to wait; she was patient though she
could wait for she knew someday she would catch some unwary fool,
her only hope was that it wouldn’t be to long and that it would be
the one who had pissed in through her front window into her
parlour.

C
hapter 3

The street
lamps had just come on as they left the woods behind. They made
their way down the steep hill, council houses set back, tall, from
the street.
Gardens held in by
hedges, some looking in need of a shave with the
clippers.

“
So when’s
your kid due?” Andy asked.

“
August.”

“
What you
hoping for or do you already know?”

“
No, not yet
anyway but a boy would be good,” Micky grinned as the thought of
playing football during the summer or going fishing with a son
would be great. “And you can’t tell much from the last scan, maybe
when we get the next one, who knows.”

Halfway down
the slope they crossed the road turning left onto Blair
Ave
nue, nodding to someone
they knew heading in the opposite direction out of the street then
down the hill to get a drink from the nearest pub.

“
Yeah,” Andy agreed though he wasn’t sure what scans Micky
was referring too.
“So when is
the next one?”

“
Not for
another couple of months,” it seemed like an age away. “Then I’ll
know whether it’s a boy or girl.”

“
Ah well, I
hope it’s a wee boy for you and I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” Andy
said.

“
As long as
the baby’s healthy that’s all that’s important really,” Micky
added.

“
Yeah, of
course,” Andy nodded his head as he spoke.

“
Anyways,
I’ll see you in the morning,” Micky said as they reached his front
gate half way down the street, “about the usual time
then.”

“
Half seven,”
Andy agreed as Micky turned into his gate. Andy picked up his pace
to get home quicker, turning at the end of the street down the hill
then left along the main street.

Micky
mad
e for the fridge on getting
in doors. Dropping his bag onto the worktop as he retrieved a can
of beer from the tall white oblong box, he opened the can before
closing the door to the cooler.

“
Hi babes,”
he finally said as he turned to his girlfriend who was stood over a
simmering pot of pasta sauce. The pasta sat in the sink where she’d
drained it moments before knowing that Micky should be home any
minute.

“
Dinner is
ready if you want it now?” She queried yet knew he’d want to have
his drink first. Sometimes she wished he didn’t drink so much but
when he was working she felt she had to let him get on with it,
after all he was working for it. She just hoped with the baby on
the way he’d be a little different.

“
In a bit,” he answered predictably
as he headed to wash up in the bathroom, beer in hand.
He took another swig of the alcoholic fluid before putting it onto
the cistern next to the sink. He stripped off his jumper and
t-shirt to wash at the sink. Once done he threw his jumper into the
wash-basket in the corner but retained his t-shirt after giving it
a quick sniff to see how bad it smelled; when he was sure it didn’t
smell so bad he pulled it on again certain he could use it for the
rest of the night but needed a fresh one in the
morning.

Collecting his
beer he made his way back to the kitchen. The smell of
food
, as well as a day in the
fresh air, now made him feel hungry. His girlfriend had predicted
his thoughts and was already dishing a large pile of pasta onto a
plate then spooned the sauce over the top. A bowl with grated red
cheddar sat to one side for Micky to help himself, which he did
liberally.

“
So how was
you’re day?” his girlfriend finally asked.

C
hapter 4

Andy hung his
jacket up over his work bag after taking out
his sandwich box and flask before heading into
the kitchen to leave them on the table for his mum to see to for
the next day.

“
That you Andy,”
his
mother’s voice came from the living room as he opened the fridge
door to get a drink of milk from the carton.